Importance of women's political empowerement - Gurmai Zita

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Women in Politics
political solutions. Women in Arab countries demand freedom and democracy but also
participation to chart their own futures and the future of their countries. A key challenge is to
translate women’s leadership in the streets into sustained leadership in the political arena. The
21st century has to finally be that time when we see equality between men and women. Women
make up less than 10 percent of world leaders. Globally less than one in five members of
parliament are woman. The 30 percent critical mass mark for women’s representation in
parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries. In the 21st century gender
equality finally has to become a lived reality.
Political strategies
There are different political strategies to make women getting access to decision-making in
policies. Former Chancellor and Peace Nobel Prize Winner Willy Brandt proposed the quota
model of 40% for the German Social- Democratic Party already in the 70ies but the women
refused because of their self-esteem. Only 20 years ago in Germany the quota system has
been introduced by the SPD, the Greens got it already in the 80ies immediately after their
foundation. Actually all figures prove that those UN countries with quota systems perform better
than other countries in view to political equality between women and men. Those countries use
all strategies for improving the gender equality at the same time- quotas and measures for
women empowerment, reporting and recommending, gender mainstreaming and gender
budgeting as well traditional patterns like training and qualification measures, fundraising
proposals and other procedures to make women become successful in access to political
power. Sometimes developing countries are stronger than European countries to use given
instruments in order to promote women in politics like Ruanda women and their nearly 50%
representation in their national parliament. It has to be remembered that quota regulations in
the former Communist countries(25%)helped to raise the percentage of women in the houses to
over 20% while actually only 19.4% of deputies in both houses worldwide are women.
Experience demonstrates that neither in politics nor in the private sector men retire and give up
their privileges because of a woman wanting to be candidate.
The quota system as a party or election strategy is just an instrument but the most powerful
instrument. Punishment is possible because of media and public opinion. Nowadays parties
compete in most European countries with the challenge of women `representation.
Nevertheless, women empowerment remains necessary. Political parties with clear ambitions
for women`s promotion, mentoring programs and role models like the Brazilian president Dilma
Roussef, the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland or the actual prime
ministers in Europe and other world regions make clear that they want a structural change in
societies by offering women the political participation they want.
But there has also to be scrutiny about the behaviour of the political elite and membership of a
political party. There should be no political event any more being dominated by male presence,
male statements and male behaviour. This is fundamental for a change of political culture and